When I was young I was like a little mouse, tiny, insignificant, and afraid. My usual response to seeing injustice was to grow internally angry. I simply didn’t have the chops to do something constructive or to speak out. I suppose that I most enjoyed my debate class because it gave me a legitimate platform for asserting my thoughts and taught me how to use facts, data, and persuasive arguments to bolster my opinions. I was still an innocent even back then. I remember some crushing defeats that my debate partner and I endured at the hands of more skilled thespians who had perfected the art of rhetoric and, dare I say it, the big lie. I remember being shocked the first time that I realized that some of my opponents were willing to make things up just to win. Asserting, “That’s not true!‘ did little to convince the judges that they were being had. I had to learn how to fight fire with fire but I found it just too unethical to use shady tactics. Continue reading “The Great Debate”
Category: Education
Closing Ranks
Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week and educators around the country were feted with breakfasts, luncheons, gift cards, and trinkets. Of course the standardized testing schedule is so crowded that there was no rest for the weary and school life went on in full force. It will be many weeks before teachers across the country get a bit of vacation and even then the legend of three months without work will not happen in reality. Teachers will work the summer school weeks in June or attend classes to keep their various certifications intact. By the last week in July they will once again be in full prep mode as they look forward to the beginning of the school year and to meeting a new group of students. It is the nature of the business to continually be in teaching mode that only those who have engaged in the profession or their families understand. Continue reading “Closing Ranks”
Rise
I collect quotations the way some people collect stamps. I purchase magnets, signs, and books filled with wise and witty sayings and then use them to inspire and motivate. I suspect that I knew that I was meant to be a Big KIPPster as soon as I saw some of my all time favorite quotes donning the walls of the buildings of KIPP Charter Schools on my first visit to the original southwest campus. My time in the KIPP world was brief in the grand scheme of things but just long enough to change me forever. It was in many ways the penultimate thrill of my career in education. I was mostly taken by the earnestness of the people representing the three pillars of the KIPP world, namely the parents, the teachers, and the students. When I recently heard the following words, “Learn to live above your circumstances.” I immediately thought of my days at KIPP Houston High School and the wonderful people that I had encountered there. Mostly I remembered the students, a group of young people eager to do the hard work necessary to defy their circumstances even on days when it seemed impossible. This past weekend I was lucky enough to be with three of them who had indeed excelled and changed the trajectory of their lives through their own hard work and the support of extraordinary adults. Continue reading “Rise”
All It Takes Is A Little Love 